Marie
by staceycity
Summary: This is a one-shot of what I imagine could have happened after the episode 'Happy Birthday' in season 9, if they had showed the Emily was pregnant and introduced her pregnancy as part of the story...as Calleigh and Eric expecting a child.


Eric turned on his right side, his arm searching for her, as even in his sleep, Calleigh filled his dreams, but his arm landed in the empty space that occupied the other side of the bed. It's been months since he had managed to sleep properly, his mind always aware of their surroundings, months...ever since Calleigh had given him the news that they were expecting. That was why his eyes flew open and Eric stood up abruptly, his eyes searching for her in the darkness of the night.

'Calleigh' he whispered.

He thought that maybe she was in the bathroom, even if the lights were turned off. It wasn't like she didn't know where the toilet was if she needed to use it. She often did have to use it at least once during the night, and Eric often found himself waking up. His mind was just constantly aware of what she was doing. Calleigh and their unborn child was all he could seem to think about.

Even today of all days, or rather, yesterday seeing as it was past midnight, Calleigh and their baby had managed to occupy most of his thoughts...even on his dead sister's birthday.

All thoughts of sleep gone for the time being, Eric removed the covers that shielded his body from the rest of the world, he grabbed his black shorts, put them on and made his way out of the bedroom in search for her. He walked slowly, tried not to make any sound that would startle her, only to realize that there was the lamp in the nursery on.

He sighed in relief and slowly approached the room, stopping briefly at the entrance just to watch her. She was standing, her hand resting on the empty crib. He knew that the case they had to handle yesterday was hard on her, specifically because the victim had been an expecting mum too. Calleigh had insisted she wanted to be by her side, and even though Eric didn't agree, her mind was made up.

The mother had been found in quite a bad shape, and at the time, the doctors weren't sure the baby would make it. He just couldn't subject her to such situations in time when she herself was expecting. Instead she ended up watching them operating on the mother, with the possibility that both lives would be lost.

Thinking about all this, made him anxious and Eric just wanted to hold her. He wanted to feel her in his arms, he wanted to listen to the sound of her breathing, to feel that baby bump, that just made her look exceptionally beautiful. He slowly approached her, and sliding his arms round her big belly, Calleigh sighed, letting her head drop backwards, resting against his shoulders, her hands covering his on her belly.

'I was wondering when you were going to join me' she told him.

'Couldn't sleep?' he asked her, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

'No. I keep thinking about Heather and her baby' she told him.

'I understand...' he whispered before placing another kiss on her cheek.

'I just don't understand' Calleigh told him as she turned in his arms to look at him 'How could a husband...a father...do that to his unborn child? To his wife? The woman he claims to love' Calleigh whispered obviously too upset.

Aware of how upset she seemed to be, aware of the state of her pregnancy and how far in she was, Eric was anxious to get her to bed. She needed to rest. Being this upset, putting such a strain on herself could cause her to go into labor. She was practically as far as Heather had been, and seeing how she ended up giving birth before her due date, Eric just wasn't comfortable.

'Can we go to bed and talk?' he asked her, stroking the side of her right cheek, his long digits running through her blonde hair.

Her eyes bore into his, and Calleigh could see that he was just preoccupied. Eric was good to her, have always been good to her. Ever since she had told him that she was pregnant, he would stop fussing and pampering her. He was cautious and worried about her, and Calleigh knew that yesterday's case got to him as much as it did her, especially since it was his sister's birthday.

'OK' she whispered as she let him take her hand in his and lead the way to their bedroom.

She had put on her robe before making her way into the empty nursery, just to have something to cover her body with, seeing as she was still naked underneath. They had made love before almost as soon as they had stepped into their house. It was like, without talking about it, they both knew that they needed each other in that way. They needed the intimate contact, the intimate touch. They needed to drown in each other's love, and even though usually Eric was more careful ever since she got pregnant, today, he was needy. He needed her as much as she needed him.

Mr Chapman's words nauseated him. He just couldn't understand how a father could want his own child dead just so that he could still have the full attention of his wife, as if after loosing a child, a woman can remain the same...untouched, unaffected by such trauma. The thought that anything were to happen to their unborn baby, tore him to pieces. He just couldn't think that...he couldn't face something like that, and he knew it would tear Calleigh apart too.

They stopped at the edge of the bed, on Calleigh's side, and Eric took a moment to undo her robe, while Calleigh just watched him. He needed to see her. He needed to see her belly. He needed to see that their daughter was still safe and alive inside of her. The robe dropped leaving her naked in front of him, and even though Calleigh felt too exposed, especially for a moment where they weren't making love, but Eric was just staring at her naked body, she understood what he needed.

His hands ran down her arms, feeling her creamy skin tease his palms, down to her hands. He brought both hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, and Calleigh smiled at how affectionate and gentle he was with her. He left her hands then, and placed both of his palms against her belly. He wanted to feel their baby move. It was almost three in the morning, and Eric knew she always woke up at this hour. He leaned down and kissed her belly then.

'Hey princess...it's daddy' he whispered and Calleigh smiled lovingly as she watched him taking to her belly 'I just wanted to tell you that I love you. That I won't let anyone hurt you, and that I can't wait till I have you in my arms now' he whispered.

' _Eric_ ' Calleigh whispered in awe. He just took her breath away every single time he talks to their baby. He even gave their daughter attention while he made love to her mother, and it turned Calleigh on in a way, she never knew it was possible. He was just an amazing father already, and Calleigh could only imagine how good he was going to be when their baby is finally born.

'Sorry' he apologized 'I just...I needed this' he whispered.

'I know' she replied with a smile.

'I just want to hold you naked in my arms' he told her, as he pushed his shorts down revealing himself as well.

'There is absolutely nothing better than being naked in your arms' she told him, as they settled into bed. She let her head rest against his chest, as Eric covered them, the sheets resting just above her swollen breasts. They had gotten quite big during her pregnancy, and Eric found he just loved them. There were particular days when they were out of bounds, Calleigh being in pain as they swell, and Eric would just gently take her in his arms, and very carefully massage them for her, release her pain away. He had actually gotten quite good at it as well, and Calleigh could only feel her heart swell at such sight.

'Did she wake you up or?' Eric asked her.

'No...I just couldn't take my mind off Heather...There was something about holding that baby in my arms today' she told him 'You know being pregnant and holding another baby who is practically the same age as ours...it just...I don't know...' Calleigh just couldn't put a name to the feeling of holding that child.

'It was like holding ours in your arms' he continued for her 'It made you wonder how it would feel to hold our daughter in your arms' Eric went on.

'Yeah...I just want to hold her...and at the same time...that baby was just too beautiful...I just couldn't understand how her father could not want her to live...I really don't get it' Calleigh told him, resting her hands on her belly again, her thumbs caressing the area.

'I don't either. I would kill anyone who even thinks about taking you two away from me now' Eric told her, and Calleigh could feel how his jaw set in tension. He would literally rip them apart.

'Hey...we're fine. No one is going to hurt us. I might be pregnant, but I can still protect us' she assured him.

'I have no doubt about that gorgeous' Eric replied kissing the side of her head, his lips resting against the soft golden locks.

'What is it about being so protective of someone you don't even know?' she whispered in awe. She was still trying to wrap her brain around such a phenomenon, and not just love and want to protect the little one she hasn't even met, but she was willing to leave her job, her life behind and just be with her and Eric, and she wouldn't give a care about anything else.

'She is a part of you and a part of me' Eric whispered his voice raw with emotion 'I am still trying to wrap my mind around being able to hold you like this, so you can imagine how mind blowing the fact that we are expecting a child is to me' he told her.

'Of course. It's mind blowing to me too you know, especially after the childhood I had' she told him 'It used to scare the shit out of me that I would have a child and being brought up the way I was' she told him.

'I would never put you or our daughter's life in such a state of mind or life. I promise I will always cherish both of you and do everything in my power to love you and protect you' Eric assured her.

'I know Eric' she whispered lovingly as she snuggled further into him 'Hey you know what...I finally found a name that you would probably agree on for our daughter' she told him. In the chaos and confusion of the day, she had almost forgot.

'What is it?' he asked her.

'Marie' she whispered as she turned her head up so she could look in her eyes 'In short for Marisol' she told him, and Eric had to swallow hard at the lump that blocked his throat.

'Really? You would name our daughter after my sister?' he asked her emotionally.

'I wouldn't have it any other way' she whispered with a smile.

Eric pressed his lips hard against hers, his hand cupping one cheek, before resting his forehead against his 'I love you so much Cal' he whispered. It was still quite new, something else to get used to. Only months old, that they had actually come around to saying the words out loud, and now that they did, they couldn't seem to stop saying them, and it had a fresh and a new impact each and every time.

'I love you too Eric' she whispered one hand cupping his cheek.

'Marie...I love it. I love you Marie Duquesne Delko' Eric told her, and Calleigh had to close her eyes at how beautiful that sounded, and for the rest of the night Calleigh and Eric had something else to dream about...little Marie Duquesne Delko.


End file.
